The Effect of Artificial Intelligence-Supported Education on Students’ Cognitive Flexibility: The Mediating Role of Learning Engagement
Abstract
This study examined the effect of Artificial Intelligence-Supported Education on students’ Cognitive Flexibility and explored the mediating role of Learning Engagement in this relationship. A quantitative, cross-sectional research design was adopted to collect data from 268 university students with experience of using AI-supported educational tools. Data were collected through a structured adopted questionnaire distributed online through Google Forms, and the completed responses were organized and analyzed using SPSS. Descriptive statistics, reliability analysis, Pearson product-moment correlation, simple linear regression, independent-samples t-test, one-way analysis of variance, and mediation analysis were employed to examine the study variables and their relationships. The findings revealed a significant positive relationship between Artificial Intelligence-Supported Education and students’ Cognitive Flexibility, and AI-Supported Education significantly predicted students’ Cognitive Flexibility. The results further demonstrated that Learning Engagement significantly mediated the relationship between AI-Supported Education and Cognitive Flexibility, while the remaining direct relationship indicated partial mediation. The demographic analysis also showed significant differences in Cognitive Flexibility across gender and age groups, whereas Learning Engagement did not differ significantly across academic levels. Overall, the study highlights the importance of AI-supported educational environments in promoting students’ active involvement in learning and developing flexible cognitive responses. The findings provide useful implications for educators, researchers, and higher education institutions by emphasizing that the educational value of AI is strengthened when its use is integrated with meaningful learning activities that encourage student engagement, exploration, adaptation, and flexible thinking.